


To Give A Chance

by Ryu_Reikai_Akuma



Series: The Rather Unusual and Possibly Lengthy Courtship [6]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, Injury, M/M, Uncle-Nephew Relationship, kili is a spoiled little shit, protective!Fili, thorin is not so secretly a softie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-11
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-29 02:39:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,886
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/999876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ryu_Reikai_Akuma/pseuds/Ryu_Reikai_Akuma
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fili used to worship his uncle, until Thorin decided to court Kili.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To Give A Chance

**Author's Note:**

> Somehow I created a prequel of Properly. No mature content in this one, though. I want to explore Kili's family's reactions to his relationship with Thorin for now. Anyway. Is it possible to have brother complex when you don't have a brother (or indeed any sibling)? Because I find protective! Fili so fun to write and cool when I'm usually neutral toward him.

There had been a time Fili looked up to his uncle and king. There had been a time he thought Thorin was the greatest and bravest warrior, wisest leader, perfect king, kindest (although slightly distant) uncle. There had been a time he believed Thorin was incapable of mistakes.

That time had gone.

Nowadays, Fili had to constantly restrain himself from snarling and attacking Thorin. No longer was he under the delusion that the king was flawless. Thorin was greatly flawed-a terrible dwarf, in fact. His greatest flaw? Falling in love with Fili’s beloved brother.

While Fili had always noticed something unusual with the amount of attention and preference Thorin had for Kili, Kili had been oblivious. The archer, spoiled since young age by doting parents and brother and Thorin, soaked up the attention gleefully. Never once he suspected anything odd about how Thorin smiled to him more than he did anybody else, how as he grew up Thorin would find excuses to be around him, how Thorin’s touches and gazes lingered, how much Thorin wanted him.

Fili said nothing of it at first. He had believed that Thorin wouldn’t do anything as stupid as pursuing the attraction. After all, Kili was his nephew and a child more than half his age. Dwarf customs might be a little different from those of Man in that it didn’t view the attraction Thorin had for Kili unfavorably, but a good king would not risk his reputation for selfish reasons. It's that thought, along with Kili’s continued obliviousness, that kept Fili quiet.

The day he realized he had made a terrible mistake, Fili had been trapped in a lengthy discussion on trade with Balin, leaving Kili to entertain himself. He was exhausted and a little guilty for choosing work over his brother and had planned to spend the evening making up for the lost time. The last thing he had expected to see when he returned home was his young brother showing a familiar ornate knife to Fili and their parents, a wide smile on his face.

“Thorin gave me this and I have accepted it,” He had announced proudly.

There had been much shouting afterward, all of them by Fili, but Kili’s mind was unchangeable. Their parents had begged the archer to reconsider, but Kili had only traced the carvings on the golden sheath and the handle of the knife-the knife all recognized as Thorin’s favorite relic from Erebor-looking awestruck. Realizing that their words fell to deaf ears, they begrudgingly and warily allowed Kili to do as he pleased.

Their parents might be slightly comforted by the thought that this was merely courting and thus could end when one or both parties didn’t wish for further commitment, but not Fili. He refused to let his brother fell into Thorin’s arms. There were better suitors out there, ones who were younger and kinder than Thorin and as strongly attracted to Kili as Thorin. He knew that there had been many who offered Kili their ceremonial knives, or had been meaning to offer him. While some had doubtful intention, there were many who were genuinely interested in the archer. Fili tirelessly reminded him of this, mentioning the names of half the dwarves in the Blue Mountains and beyond. Male, female, young, old, royals, commoners. _Anyone_ but Thorin.

Characteristically, Kili didn’t care about this. He carried the knife with him everywhere, flaunting the fact that the King under the Mountain was under his thumb, as well as dashing his parents’ hope for a quiet and scandal-free courtship and an end of it. They were forced to make time for Thorin’s visits lest Kili would disappear to hover over the king publicly. They preferred the courtship to end, but as it was unlikely to happen soon the least they could do was to allow the courtship to be conducted in private, especially considering their youngest son tended to mope when he wasn’t allowed to see the king-a sight no one could bear to see for an extended period of time. While Fili was marginally more immune to Kili’s sad eyes, he was defenseless whenever Kili sulked and especially when disappeared altogether until Fili tempted him out of his hiding place (usually Thorin’s forge or that _shed_ he called a house) with promises of a spar or a favorite treat. Similarly, Thorin would send gifts and ridiculously-written poems whenever Kili ran to Fili for comfort from whatever wrong Thorin had done.

They really had spoiled Kili too much.

They’re unlikely to do anything about that soon, especially Thorin, by the way things seemed to be going now.

“Is Kili here?” Thorin asked as he passed Fili who opened the door for him, not bothering to ask for permission to enter the house.

“No, he is not,” Fili answered curtly, making no effort to show hospitality. He kept the door open, hoping Thorin would understand that he wasn’t wanted here. The faster Thorin left, the better. If Kili was neither home or with Thorin, he must have been in the forest, possibly to avoid Thorin, and Fili didn’t want the king to be there when Kili returned home.

Thorin nodded. “I’ll wait for him.”

No, you shouldn’t, Fili wanted to say. But then he noticed that a group of dwarves were nearby, chuckling as they eyed them. Visitors from the Iron Hills had arrived recently. Like Fili, they thought Thorin’s courtship was a jest and offered their eligible relatives (or even themselves) to him in exchange for a favorable trade agreement. Fili would have appreciated their efforts more if they hadn’t made the same attempts toward him. Fili gritted his teeth and shut the door.

He watched his uncle in disapproval when he made his way to the best looking and most comfortable chair in the entire room-the one he had claimed as his own for as long as Fili remembered. Thorin reeked of sweat and smoke, his hair and clothes were damp, soot covered patches of his skin and outfit. He looked far from majestic at the moment, barely kingly at all safe for his commanding presence, and even then it was eclipsed by his less than stellar appearance. All in all, he looked mostly ordinary, if not completely unappealing. Fili couldn’t see what could possibly be considered attractive in him, what could make him a prospective lover, other than the fact that he _was_ the King under the Mountain. Even if he was interested in male, Thorin would not enter his consideration. Fili admitted to admiring Dori who had the most beautifully braided hair and beard, and Dwalin who had impressive muscles and scarred skin covered in ink and steel. If it’s personality he looked for, he would rather be with dwarves like Bofur who knew the funniest stories in all of Middle Earth, or Nori who knew very well how to party, or even Balin who had endless wits and wisdom and patience. But Thorin… No. Definitely no.

“I notice that you disapprove of our courtship,” Thorin said calmly when Fili did nothing but glared at him for a couple of minutes.

“Of course!” Fili snapped, forgetting all about mannerism. They were all alone in the house; no one was there to stop him from telling Thorin exactly what he thought of this fraud. It was time for someone to tell Thorin what he should know but everyone was too scared to say. “How dare you do this to my brother?”

“I have mentioned my intention toward him and he has accepted it,” Thorin replied, “I would not do this without his approval.”

“That’s not what I asked!” Fili shouted, hands fisting at his sides, “How could you do this to him?”

Thorin lowered his head slightly. His eyes looked distant as he answered, “If I could stop, I would.”

Thorin’s answer only further inflamed Fili’s anger. It was fortunate for Thorin that Fili’s weapons were safely out of reach because Fili would not show mercy to anyone who even _thought_ of corrupting Kili, whether he was a king or not. “So this is because of your inability to control your lust?”

Thorin frowned at Fili, looking a touch offended. If Fili was thinking clearly he would stopped there, but currently he was intent on protecting his brother from Thorin questionable intentions. “That is not what I mean to say. I promise you I will not dishonor him in such a way.”

Before he could stop himself, Fili shouted, “You’d better not! You don’t deserve him!”

The shock in Thorin’s face was palpable and Fili instantly regretted his thoughtlessness. Anger and protectiveness was not an excuse for his behavior. It didn’t matter that he strongly believed in what he said (because Thorin was too old, too stubborn, too cruel, too hot-headed, too _broken_ for Kili), it was still wrong of him to say it. Fili grimaced, words of apology at the tip of his tongue, when the front door swung open and Kili walked in, soaked to the bones. His clothes were torn and covered in mud and there were a large bleeding gash on his cheek and blood on his hands. Before Fili could react, Thorin had stridden across the room to examine the archer.

“What happened? Are you all right?” He asked urgently, gripping Kili’s arms tightly. He frowned when he found a cut on Kili’s arm and moved his hand away from the injury.

For a moment Kili was too surprised by Thorin’s presence to react, but then he struggled out of Thorin’s grasp. It didn’t work of course, as the king was physically stronger than him. “I’m all right. Why are you here? Don’t you have _guests_ to entertain?”

“I want to see you. Kili, hold still. Where are you hurt?”

“I…”

“Kili.”

Fili had expected Thorin to glare and growl in annoyance as he usually did when others were being especially difficult while he was in a terrible mood. Instead, Thorin’s voice was quiet, and although still firm it held a tone of plea. His eyes were soft with concern instead of irritation, quite clearly conveying the word ‘please’ he would not say. Fili blinked in surprise.

“My leg,” Kili finally replied. He seemed displeased as he allowed Thorin to pull him to a chair.

“Fili, get us some water,” Thorin commanded while fussing with Kili’s coat.

Fili hastily obeyed, the earlier confrontation forgotten. When he returned with a basin of water and clean cloths Thorin was carefully peeling dirty clothes from Kili, frowning as he revealed the state of Kili’s injuries. There were a cut on his left arm, bruises on his torso and back, and a rather large injury on his leg. Fresh blood still flowed from the wounds, mixing with dirt to cake his skin. Fili brought them a stash of medication, hoping that it wasn’t necessary to call for Oin.

“What did you do this time?” He asked in exasperation, cleaning the wound on Kili’s cheek with a wet cloth. That one had mostly stopped bleeding as the wound wasn’t very deep. It seemed like most of the red they saw earlier was from Kili wiping his face with his dirty hand.

Kili muttered something about falling off a tree but didn’t elaborate, hissing at Thorin’s attempt to roll the legs of his trousers up to look for other wounds. “That is all, Thorin. I swear…”

Thorin nodded after a few more moments of fumbling with the trousers and discovering no more wound. “Bring your brother a set of clothes. He is cold.”

Fili nodded without thinking, automatically slipping into the role of dutiful nephew and ignoring Kili’s protests. He took Kili’s dirty clothes away to be washed later, then ran to Kili’s bedroom to get him something comfortable to wear. He made the bed while he was there, preparing it for Kili’s recuperation. While the blood loss was not significant, but that combined with the cold he must have endured while walking home could weaken him. It would be a struggle to keep him in bed but he knew of ways to bribe Kili to remain abed.

Fili was tidying Kili’s desk when he found items he had never seen before. There were hair clasps, rings, beads, and necklaces; all of them finely crafted with a style unmistakably from Erebor. There was even a new fiddle sitting next to Kili’s old one. On a box he found ornately carved pipes, intriguing toys and trinkets, and even beautiful quills although Kili had no interest in writing. But those weren’t the most peculiar new items. There were dried flowers tied together with a piece of silk ribbon and a stack of papers bearing Thorin’s handwriting. Fili very briefly read sweet words written beautifully, professing faithfulness and, most of all, Thorin’s longing for the day they could be joined.

With a jolt, Fili realized that he had left his half naked brother with his corrupt king. He grabbed the clothes he had found and ran back to the living room, briefly wondering if he should make a stop at his own room to get his knives.

Fili was ready to shout death threats as he neared the doorway leading to the living room, but the sight he found made him stop just out of the couple’s view. Thorin was gently applying medication on Kili’s wounds, stopping and glancing up whenever Kili tensed up. Afterward the king wrapped the biggest injuries with bandages, even kneeling on the floor when he tended the wound on Kili’s leg. The last wound to treat was the gash on Kili’s cheek. Thorin touched it gingerly and when Kili didn’t react strongly he leaned up to press a light kiss on it.

“Don’t do this again,” He said gravely, resting his forehead on Kili’s. His hands clasped Kili’s tightly. “If-when you’re upset with me, go home, go to your brother, but don’t…”

“Don’t be stupid,” Kili interrupted, his voice soft. A small hesitant smile stretched his lips. “I didn’t do anything, and certainly not because you’ve upset me.”

Thorin breathed shakily and closed his eyes. “Of course,” He said, then he kissed Kili’s forehead.

Fili stood outside the room for a little longer. He remembered a particular tree Kili had claimed as his since he was little, a place to hide from the world when he wished to be left alone. A stream ran below it and Fili had often warned him that he would one day fell to his death there. Kili had always refused to listen and Fili learnt to accept that the tree had become the silent companion and witness for what he could not know, the cause of the puffiness in Kili’s eyes and dampness on his cheeks. Kili didn’t go there often lately. It was Thorin’s house that he returned home from with a smile on his slightly red face.

With loud stomps, Fili entered the room. He was satisfied when his arrival made Thorin pulled away to a respectable distance. “Here are your clothes. Can you wear them on your own?”

“Of course!” Kili replied indignantly, grabbing the clothes Fili brought and wincing when the movement caused his wound to hurt again.

Fili watched his brother dress while Thorin pulled, straightened and smoothed his clothes. Kili threw the king a small smile but shied away from his touch. Fili said nothing of this interaction, knowing it’s not his place to know. “You should rest. We can’t have you sick.”

Kili nodded obediently. He must be very tired if he didn’t argue with Fili. Exactly what had happened in the forest? Fili would have to ask him later.

Thorin and Fili watched Kili limped to his room. Thorin sat on the edge of his seat, ready to rush to Kili’s side with assistance should he needed it, but the archer managed to leave the room without much problem.

“I should leave now,” Thorin said, standing up. He looked at the doorway from which Kili had disappeared and exhaled heavily, “Take care of your brother.”

Fili nodded. He followed Thorin’s slow steps to the front door, partly expecting the king to turn back and make excuses to stay. It wouldn’t be an unusual thing for him to do, but whatever had happened between them seemed to be discouraging him from doing so. Thorin nodded to him with a wary smile as they reached the door. His eyes strayed to the door leading to the living quarters and his smile twisted.

With an internal groan, Fili slipped between him and the door. “Come see him tomorrow. He should feel better by then.”

Thorin looked at him in surprise, then nodded his agreement (and perhaps gratitude? No, that would be _too_ unlike Thorin). Fili opened the door for him and watched him leave. He sighed heavily and shook his head. He must have gone mad if he thought Thorin deserved a chance to win Kili.

Well, no matter. Fili was just being fair to Thorin, it didn’t mean he would encourage Kili to pursue a more serious commitment with him. If this invitation had affected the outcome of their relationship, then he would face it when it happened. Now, Fili had mushroom soup to make. Kili would whine if he was sent to bed due to illness without it.


End file.
